UFC 296 was marred by a shocking incident as Sean Strickland launched a brutal attack on Dricus du Plessis ahead of their title fight. The middleweight fighters were seated in the VIP section of the T-Mobile Arena when chaos erupted.

Strickland's shocking attack

The tension between Strickland and du Plessis escalated when the two fighters appeared on the big screen. Strickland jokingly pretended to fire a gun shot at his rival, but things quickly turned violent.

Before launching his attack, Strickland asked welterweight contender Gilbert Burns to move his children out of harm's way. Then, without warning, he pounced on du Plessis, delivering a series of hard elbows.

Intervention and aftermath

Du Plessis managed to defend himself, but fellow fighters had to step in to separate the two. Security and Las Vegas police swiftly intervened, escorting Strickland out of the arena. Meanwhile, du Plessis had to be restrained as he calmed down.

Outrage on social media

The shocking incident quickly went viral on social media, with MMA fans expressing their disbelief. Many questioned the decision to seat the fighters so close together, suggesting that UFC president Dana White may have wanted drama to unfold.

One fan commented, "SEAN STRICKLAND BOMBS AWAY," while another said, "Whoever was in charge of seating wanted some drama tonight!"

Dana White takes responsibility

UFC president Dana White took full responsibility for the brawl, blaming himself for the incident. He expressed his frustration with the seating arrangement and admitted that he should have anticipated the clash between Strickland and du Plessis.

White stated, "I don't know what human you can sit Strickland next to, but definitely not Du Plessis. I don't even know how I missed that."

The aftermath and future fight

Despite the unsavory incident, the fight between Strickland and du Plessis will go ahead as scheduled. Du Plessis is determined to dethrone Strickland as the middleweight champion at UFC 297 on January 20.